It's Bedlam with 'Hamlet' and 'Saint Joan' at Cutler Majestic

Tuesday

Let’s stage “Hamlet” and “Saint Joan,” run them in repertory, and for the 49 roles in the two plays, we’ll cast only four actors.

Sound like bedlam? It is Bedlam. The acclaimed New York City theater company brings revivals of two of its most acclaimed shows to the Emerson Cutler Majestic Theatre in Boston, March 7-25.

“I thought, Wow, this is crazy,” says actress Aundria Brown, describing her reaction when she first heard the four-actor concept. “But then I thought, I’m so down for this. It seemed impossible, but I knew it was possible because Bedlam had done it before.”

“Maybe I’m crazy, but I thought, that makes perfect sense to me,” says Aubie Merrylees, who plays Hamlet as well as various roles in “Saint Joan.” “I had done Shakespeare in grad school with four or five actors, so I knew it could be done.”

Not only is it possible, the scaled-down cast actually gives the plays some added urgency, according to the two actors.

“There’s a frenetic energy to it,” says Merrylees. “And it becomes more about the language, not as much about the other peripheral stuff like sets and costumes. You just take off a hat, and now you’re a different character. In a weird way, it simplifies the play.”

Brown believes the spare cast also hones performances.

“You’re onstage the whole time, so there’s no time to slack off,” says Brown, who plays Saint Joan, Ophelia and Gertrude. “It makes you a better partner, it makes you a better listener, and it makes you a better actor.”

The concept grew from the fierce imagination of Eric Tucker, artistic director of Bedlam, and the director of these two shows. His raw and robust staging concepts have made him a darling of the New York theater scene.

“Eric believes that great opportunities come from restrictions and restraints,” says Merrylees. “You need to find creative solutions, and I love that.”

It didn’t take Brown long to realize that Tucker was a different kind of director. She figured it out in the first rehearsal.

She says the cast read through the two plays, and then Tucker said, “OK, let’s start blocking ‘Saint Joan.’ ”

Brown remembers, “I thought, What did I get myself into?”

It’s probably an understatement to call the rehearsals immersive. They staged the two towering plays in less than a month.

The cast, which was in North Carolina at the time of the interview, has been touring and honing the shows. The two actors are deep into their characters, and they like what they see.

“I was surprised at how much I relate to him,” says Merrylees, describing Hamlet. “I really feel for him as a person. Sometimes when I see Shakespeare, it feels foreign to me. But working on this role, I’ve been struck by how familiar Hamlet feels.”

The actor says he can’t allow himself to get distracted by the legendary status of the role.

“I try not to think about any of that,” he says. “That’s all just traffic, and it gets me too much inside my head. I can’t think of him as an iconic guy. I just think of him as me, in these particular circumstances. If I start to think of him as iconic, then that’s a sign that I have to refocus my energy, and reenter the humanity of the character.”

Brown has a similar reaction to Saint Joan. Written by George Bernard Shaw, the play follows the story of the peasant farm girl who rises to military war hero and then sainthood.

Brown finds she has lots in common with Joan (not including the visions from Archangel Michael, the military conquests, or the part where she burns at the stake).

“It’s my favorite role so far,” says Brown, who was raised in South Carolina. “I grew up in the church. My father is a minister. I consider myself to be spiritual. My grandfather was a farmer. Joan feels very close to me.”

Brown admires the strength and tenacity of the character she plays.

“Joan was an agent for change,” she says. “She was up against all these people who doubted her. And yet she could walk into a room with these old-fashioned people, and she was able to change their minds. It was a miracle, and we see it in the play.”

It’s not an overstatement to say that this role has been a life-changing experience for Brown.

“Joan has such strength and courage, and that has affected the way I live my day-to-day life,” she says. “I feel like I’ve always been assertive, but this role has made me more assertive. It’s made my faith stronger and my relationships with my friends stronger.”

Perhaps Joan is even offering Brown lessons on how to deal with the rigors of playing three challenging roles in two guerilla productions that are out to kick some ass.

“There’s no room for whining,” says Brown, describing something else she learned from Joan, the ultimate ass-kicker. “There’s no room for tears.”

“Hamlet” and “Saint Joan” run in repertory, March 7-25, at the Emerson Cutler Majestic Theatre, in Boston. Tickets: $20-$8